Paul Ryburn's Journal

I have some Memphis Redbirds/AutoZone Park food news to kick off this Thursday post. The Redbirds have partnered with King Cotton to offer $1 hot dogs at all Tuesday games this year. There are 10 Tuesday games in total. They have also added a new dessert, fried apple pie on a stick. Redbirds GM Craig Unger tweeted this Loaded Chili Chipper pic that looks yummy. Season opener is tonight vs. Iowa with 7:05 first pitch. The Queen of Beale Street, Ruby Wilson, will sing the National Anthem, and the first 5000 fans get a 2015 schedule magnet.

The Grizzlies are having a playoff ticket pre-sale event on the FedExForum plaza tomorrow beginning at 9 AM. There will be an all-day live remote on 92.9 ESPN, a first look at Grizzlies playoff gear, and from 11 to 1 food trucks will be there. Inflatable slide, dunk tank. At 4 you will have your first opportunity to purchase tickets to Round 1 playoff games number 1 and 2. Limit 4 tickets per customer. From 3:45 to 7 Levy’s Grill, Rendezvous, Sleddogs, and Pepsi products will be available.

Holly from the I Love Memphis Blog has a great interview with chef Felicia Willett of Felicia Suzanne’s.

There was a fire on the 12th floor of the Renaissance Apartments at 99 N. Main this morning. One unit was damaged. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

If you go to the opening of Tennessee Brewery Revival tonight, check out Luke McLuke, a new APA brewed exclusively for Revival by Memphis Made.

Here’s a party for a wonderful cause, but one which scares me to no end: Wedding Dress Ball to raise money for St. Mary’s soup kitchen.

Interesting fact: In the 1960s there was a Downtown Memphis airport on Mud Island which was reachable by pontoon ferry.

MOODY QUES: If you have not already sent your T-shirt sizes to moodyques@gmail.com, please do so immediately. We are days away from placing the order. If we do not have your size when we order, you will get a shirt but it may not be one that fits, and we do not plan to have many extras.

Last night the team vice-president, head cook/treasurer, and workhorse “Mr. Load-in” met for drinks, and I learned that the team has sailed way past its cap of 35 members – so far past the cap that I was asked, “Paul, can you get the PayPal widget off the team website as soon as possible?” (Thanks to Otto for getting that down because I wasn’t near a computer and wouldn’t be for hours.) The good news is, vice-president Clay who has the list said “the people who joined late are a lot of really awesome people.” For those few of you who haven’t paid yet, get a check to Clay or Frank.

Heavy storms moving through Memphis this evening. Latest projections show the heaviest ones coming through between 10 and 11. That’s usually about what time I walk home from the bars… hey, it’s an excuse to stay out and drink later!

Not really enough news to warrant a second post today, except that one of the items is time-sensitive. Tennessee Brewery Revival opens tomorrow at 11 AM, and the Stickem food truck, Mr., Frazier’s Fish Fry, and the Farm2Cart food truck will be on hand to serve lunch.

More Tennessee Brewery Revival news: A week from tomorrow, Thursday, April 16, the beer that made the brewery famous, Goldcrest 51, will make its return. It will be tapped at the brewery around the noon hour. At 1:30 that afternoon, proprietor and beer historian Kenn Flemmons will give a talk about the brewery and the history of Goldcrest beer.

Earlier this afternoon I reported that street buses will start running what is essentially the Main Street Mall trolley route beginning Sunday, April 12. The CA reports that the buses will make vintage trolley sounds.

Bike Nights on Beale kicks off next Wednesday.

Home from work. Time for an ice cold PBR. Back tomorrow.

Earlier this week I blogged about Pranom Pop-Up which will bring authentic Los Angeles Thai street food to Downtown Memphis, at the Silly Goose Friday from 4 to 9. Well, I have now learned that Friday will be the second of two Downtown Memphis appearances. Thursday Pranom Pop-Up will make an appearance at the High Cotton taproom at 598 Monroe. I’ll probably wait until Friday to try it at the Goose because I’m lazy about walking, but if you live in The Edge, or if you want great craft beer with your Pad Thai, or you just can’t wait until Friday, there you go. By the way, if you’re a student (and 21 or over), Thursday is the taproom’s $3.50 pint night for you.

Main Street shuttle buses will replace the trolleys and start running Sunday, April 12. Here is the route. @LaurenSquires reported that new trolleys cost $1.5 million apiece and MATA just doesn’t have the money for that right now. Regular trolleys are expected to be back by fall.

Administrative note: I still consider this a personal blog, and therefore Bardog, Blind Bear, Flying Saucer, Silly Goose, and Max’s Sports Bar have an advantage getting things mentioned on this blog because those are the main places I hang out. However, other Downtown restaurants, bars, and businesses: Do not be shy about letting me know about events you would like me to write about. My email address is paul@paulryburn.com and you’re welcome to send me anything you want. I can’t promise it will get in (especially the week of BBQ Fest, when I blog mainly about my team) but if I think it’s something my readers should know about, I will try my best.

Concert announcement: Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters will play Mud Island on Friday, June 12. Tickets go on sale Friday. I don’t go to a lot of concerts, but that is one I would not mind attending.

If you missed the weekly Grind City Craft show on 600 WREC, here’s a replay. The topic is the upcoming Memphis Beer Week. A good listen if you appreciate local and regional craft beer.

Thanks to the Grizzlies, patients at St. Jude have a new basketball court. The court is Grizzlies-themed and has adjustable goals so kids of all ages can play. Team members came out and played on the court with the kids yesterday.

Do you have a recipe for a craft beer cocktail? Take it to the Flying Saucer and enter it before April 20. On April 24, the top ten finalists will present their cocktails. The top three will go on the menu for the month of May. The creator of the best-selling cocktail during May will get a spot in the Ring of Honor and a UFO party. As far as I can remember, this is the first time they have ever offered a way to get a plate on the wall without having to drink 200 beers.

From the MBJ: The first Southwest plane departs Memphis for Dallas Love Field today.

From Thrillist: The 11 best places to get fried chicken in Memphis. Several are walkable from Downtown.

Bass Pro Pyramid has some open service industry positions in its Mile-High Catfish Bar.

With highs pushing into the mid-80s today, I plan to get out and do some people watching and tube top watching this afternoon after work. Great patio weather. Perhaps I will see you out.

The music lineup for April for Tennessee Brewery Revival has been announced.

• Saturday, April 11: Mark Edgar Stuart 3-4:30, Deering & Down 4:45-7
• Sunday, April 12: Grace Askew 4-6:30
• Saturday, April 18: Loveland Duren 4-7
• Sunday, April 19: Mason Jar Fireflies 3-7
• Saturday, April 25: Blind Mississippi Morris 3-7
• Sunday, April 26: Alexis Grace 3-7

The City Council started the legislative process that would permit drinking on party bikes like River City Pedalers, the 14-seat party bike that has been operating Downtown since December. The River City bike made two different stops at Bardog, with different groups on board, while I was in there Saturday.

Blues legend B.B. King has been hospitalized.

The Orpheum is hiring a marketing/group sales assistant.

MLGW’s Plus-1 Telethon is today. You can sign up to pay extra on your bill to help pay to keep the power on for people who don’t have the money to pay their bills.

Random fact I learned today from FiveThirtyEight: Your fingernails grow 3-4 times faster than your toenails. Also from FiveThirtyEight: The Rock consumes about 821 pounds of cod per year and eats seven meals a day.

It’s National Beer Day and of course I intend to celebrate after work. I am going to switch up my Tuesday routine a bit and revert to Flying Saucer as my lead-off location. That will allow me to get to the Silly Goose right about the time their local beer night ($2 local drafts) starts at 7:30, with live music at 8:30. Yes I will drink local beer and not PBR.

We have a new restaurant that has opened on Madison, in the block between Second and Third that also contains the Brass Door and Havana’s Pilon. Parkway Grill has opened in the space that was formerly Thai Bistro. This is the second location of the original Parkway Grill on East Parkway. Its menu (photo from the East Parkway location) is pretty basic, with burgers, dogs, gyros and pitas, and wings. There’s nothing wrong with a basic menu if it’s good stuff, though. I like my wings the way I like my women – extra hot – so I hope to give those a try soon. They have garden and turkey versions of the burger available, for those who choose not to chow on cow.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is throwing a party on Saturday, April 25. The party will be called “Hopped,” and will feature a line of hoppy pale ales, IPAs, and more. It will be in the brewery’s parking lot, near the I Love Memphis sign, and there will be music by the Mighty Souls Brass Band and Goner Records. There will be food from the Fresh Gulf Shrimp food truck, the Food Geek truck, and Aldo’s Pizza Pies. It will be a free, all-ages event from 12 to 6 with the taproom remaining open until 9. First 100 customers will receive a free Hopped pint glass.

Also on hand at the party will be Bikesmith, the mobile bike shop. Attendees who ride their bike to the party will be entered into a raffle to win great prizes including a growler of Memphis Made beer every month for a year.

After the party, the Memphis Made taproom will be open Saturdays as well as Fridays.

From Skillet, Lifehacker’s food blog: Use cornbread instead of sliced bread for your next sandwich. That is absolute genius right there.

Max’s Sports Bar is open early today for MLB Opening Day.

Dog owners: Sunday, April 26 is Bark at the Ballpark, with free admission for dogs when accompanied by a paying owner, with seating in a special section. Tickets are $12 for a field box seat, and first pitch is at 1:35. There will be dog adoptions by Streetdog Foundation. They always seem to do this the day of Beale Street Wine Race, and it puts some of my dog owner friends to a difficult decision.

I need to do a post on Wine Race for newcomers to Memphis. Trust me, you need to see it at least once. Teams from several of my favorite bars are among the ones that compete, but I’m pretty partisan to the Blind Bear when cheering. Dammit, we’re not going to have Kaylea in a super-low-cut booby V-neck this year.

If you haven’t been by the tall brown building at Union and Main recently, look up the next time you pass by. The “Memphis Business Journal” sign has been replaced by a “Lokion” sign.

That’s it for now. After work I need to make a brief trip by Cafe Keough to talk to Jai, then on to Melissa Monday at Bardog and then Pint Nite at Flying Saucer.

Dream Kasestatad, an actor and producer in Los Angeles, lost everything not long after turning 30 – his job, his girlfriend, everything. To survive, he turned back to his roots. He still knew how to cook. He began to cook his family recipe Pad Thai on the streets of L.A., selling boxes of the dish for about what one would pay for fast food out there. His pop-up business, known as Pranom, became wildly popular, receiving coverage in publications such as L.A. Weekly.

Nowadays, Kasestatad has taken his show on the road, catering festivals and high-end private events, and he has embarked on a food tour of cities across the U.S. This Friday Pranom Pop-Up will pop up in Memphis, at the Silly Goose from 4 to 9. He will prepare Khao Soi – yellow curry with egg noodles, chicken, pickled mustard greens, red onions, fried garlic and onions and lime citrus. Come on down and find out why Pranom Pop-Up is drawing such big crowds out on the West Coast.

Hippity hoppity happy Easter day everyone! I don’t really observe Easter for religious reasons, but I’m happy that kids get candy and I get PBR. Lent comes to an end for a lot of people today. Could be an interesting day at the bar as people make up for the last 40 days.

Okay. Now that I have more time, I’ll write a few paragraphs on Kudzu’s closing. You know, I talked to several people yesterday who had been there, and the general consensus was that the real Kudzu’s died in 2011 when the bar was sold. Still, I’m sad to see it go, because it was one of the last bars standing from the early ’90s when there weren’t many choices other than Beale Street. I remember hearing about Kudzu’s back when the choices were the South End, the North End, Barrister’s, Sleep Out Louie’s, the Map Room, Earnestine & Hazel’s, and the original Raiford’s.

It’s odd, that place was sold and started going downhill at almost exactly the time The Edge became a neighborhood. That building has held bars and nightclubs since the 1920s. I hope someone does something with the building to carry on its tradition as a neighborhood locals’ bar with a ton of character. People who live in the area need a place within walking distance where they can go to unwind, kind of like Bardog is for me.

Hmmm… wouldn’t it be interesting if Aldo put a Bardog/Slider Inn type of place in there? I never once made it out to Kudzu’s, but if there were an Aldo bar at 603 Monroe, I guarantee you my feets would be doing some walkin’.

Also, now that I think about it, every person I know who lives in The Edge is known to hang out at Max’s Sports Bar. Only occasionally in some cases, nearly every day in others. Maybe a concept similar to Max’s is what would work there. Once again, if something resembling Max’s opened in that spot, I would have to step out of my comfort zone of the Downtown core now and then.

KENTUCKY LOST!!!!!!! Wisconsin took them down 71-64 last night. Congratulations and THANK YOU to the Badgers. I het my boy Habes is a happy, happy man right now. Congrats also to Cal, who one day will become the first head coach in history to vacate two 38-win seasons.

Grizzlies playoff gear is now on sale.

Waiting for City Market to open so I can feed my newest addiction, Mountain Dew Kickstart. Juice, Dew, electrolytes. I thought I was addicted to regular Dew, but I crave this stuff badly since trying my first can last week. Kickstart will get me fired up for what will hopefully be an epic Sunday Fun Day. The only definite plan I have is to visit Christina at the Saucer sometime after opening at 4. Rest of the day is TBD at this point. I don’t feel like having to hear a shrill, high-pitched cougar voice, so I’m skipping Blind Bear poker this evening. Time to do some cleaning. My laundry basket is looking an awful lot like a couch, so I guess I better get to work on that.

(Quick note before I get started: Today is the last day for Kudzu’s at 603 Monroe. If you want to see the place one last time, get by there today. Java Trio will perform tonight. I will say more about this in a future post, just wanted to get this info up quick since it is very time-sensitive.)

This morning I woke up about 5, and after twisting and turning for 30 minutes I realized that I was not going back to sleep. Normally I don’t get up on Saturday until 8:30 or so. “Now what do I do?” I thought. “I have five and a half hours to kill.”

Then I remembered, “Today is the first day of the Memphis Farmers Market season!” The Farmers Market happens every Saturday April-October from 7 AM to 1 PM at the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. “I have plenty of time to shower and get dressed, and get down there earlier in the day than I have ever been before,” I thought. When I have gone to the market in the past, I have gone after 10 AM, so I have never seen an early morning there. It was 45 outside, but this is April and I’m Paul and I’m wearing shorts. I triple layered a T-shirt, windbreaker shirt, and my PBR hoodie and walked to South Main and was completely comfortable.

I got down there at 7:45 and made a beeline to the back, where the food trucks are parked. There were four options: A mobile juice bar, the Fuel food truck, the Rock’n’Dough pizza truck (serving breakfast slices), and a tandoori cuisine truck serving items like kabobs, curried chick peas, and naan. If it had been a few hours later in the day, I would have been all about some Indian food, but that early in the morning I couldn’t stomach it. I went over to the juice truck and ordered the Paradise, a smoothie made with mango, pineapple, strawberry, kiwi, nonfat frozen yogurt, and apple juice.

I walked around the market and the surrounding area sipping on my smoothie. The Easter Bunny was there handing out treats and posing for pictures with kids. There were crafts for kids as well, Easter headbands with bunny ears.

One of the cool things about the market is that you can bring your dog(s) with you. They’re not allowed under the pavilion, but there’s a pet-sitting area just north of the market where volunteers will watch your dog for you, for up to 30 minutes. They have to be on a leash. The pet-sitting area is nice and grassy and the dogs seem to enjoy running in it. Dogs from huge to small were there, although there were no Chloe-sized ones for those of you familiar with that particular canine. Last summer I came up with a game, based on the fact that everyone posts pet pictures to Facebook and Instagram. The game is, you look at the dogs being sitted and try to figure out which of your friends are at the market. Usually I get 1 or 2 right but not today; I guess none of my friends are morning people either because I didn’t recognize any of the dogs.

I have walked around the market and taken notes on my phone before, but this time I went a step farther: I brought a pen and a journalist’s pocket notepad and tried to make notes on every vendor there. Following are the notes I took, giving myself about 5 seconds to jot a line down about each vendor. Where I saw a website URL, I copied it down. As you will see, not even 20% of the market vendors sell produce, and you can more or less stock your entire refrigerator there.

• Gardens Oy Vey – plants
• Jams, stewed tomatoes, apple butter
• Leafy green vegetable that I’m guessing was kale?
• Pepper sauce
• Pet food/dog treats
• Cookies
• Porch decorations
• The Apothecary Fairy – beauty products
• Breads
• Tomato plants
• More kale/chives/pussy willow
• Mushrooms
• Flower and veggie seeds
• Fabric goods, soaps, alpaca dryer balls
• Steaks, ground beef, roast
• Kettle corn
• Chips and dips
• Farmhouse Bakery Treats (for dogs)
• Seafood
• Pork, chicken, dairy
• Meat
• Produce and eggs
• Boys and Girls Club bake sale
• Bacon, Pancetta, carnitas, sea salt flakes
• Flowers and plants
• St. Bethany fresh produce
• Coffee
• Gluten-free goods, breads mostly
• Eggs, goat cheese
• Vinegars, pestos, herbs
• Raise garden beds
• Carrington’s Catering – artisan sweets, tarts, and savories
• Salsas/hot sauces/Bloody Mary mix (were offering nonalcoholic samples)
• Baby herbs, veggies, edible flowers, grow kits. Vendor was a Downtown poker player, though he hasn’t played recently.
• Nourishe cake and muffin mix
• Jellies and pies
• Farm-raised catfish
• Jellies
• Plants
• Garden art
• Pottery by my friend Boo Gardo
• Spinach and even more kale. What is up with kale?
• Coffee
• Breads
• Pottery by Erica Bone, whose sign said you can find her on social media
• More produce
• Cooper Street 20/20 – prepared meals
• Bird houses
• Fresh flowers
• Mama D’s all-natural frozen treats
• Meats by Claybrook Farms
• Memphis Farmers Market T-shirts and totes

Whew! I think I got every booth in the park there. I could probably write two paragraphs about each vendor, but there just isn’t time today. If any of the vendors read this and would like me to do a longer blurb about you in particular at some point in the future, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com.

I am going to try to do better about making it down to the farmers market this year. I doubt I will make it every week, but twice a month is a reasonable goal to shoot for. This 7:45 to 9 appearance was an anomaly; usually I will get there more like 10 and stay until 10:40 when I have to walk north to make it to Bardog for Panda Time at 11.

Speaking of which, it’s Saturday, and this will be the last normal Saturday for a while. Panda Time at 11, librarian glasses at the Bear between 1 and 2. The next three Saturdays will be crazy with festivals and parties, then it will be Music Fest weekend, then it will be time for the Moody Ques workhorse to step up big-time for BBQ Fest load-in, then it will be BBQ Fest. I better make this one count.

One thing I’ve learned while getting my eight plates on the wall at the Flying Saucer is that beer pairs with food even better than wine does. This month they have come up with a pairing that is just genius: Beer tasters paired with Girl Scout Cookies. This beer flight is so decadent that it will make you want to wear a giant stick of butter as a hat.

Nate the manager told me that he bought enough cookies to do 60 flights. The special is advertised as going on the entire month of April, but I predict the 60th flight will be poured before Tax Day.

Moody Ques news: We want to have one more get-together for team members, especially new team members, to get to know one another before BBQ Fest gets here. However, we don’t want to interrupt festival season. So we’ve found the best of both worlds: Two of our team members have invited us to the rooftop of Barton Flats on April 19, the day of Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest. The rooftop overlooks the festival and we will have BBQ and you can bring crawfish up if you want. It’s BYOB and if you attend, we’re asking you to do two things: Email moodyques@gmail.com to RSVP, because space is limited; and bring $10 to help with the cost of the BBQ. Also email the team if we don’t have your T-shirt size yet. We need to get the order in soon.

Speaking of the Moody Ques: I hear someone has been bugging the team leaders, trying to make a $100 bet on which team finishes higher in shoulder, ours or his. Dude, if I were you, I would be a lot more concerned about your restaurant’s 63% rating on Urbanspoon (as of this morning when I checked) than about whether you can out-cook another BBQ team.

Did you know there was supposed to be a pedestrian bridge connecting Bass Pro Pyramid to the Pinch?

The Daily News reported that yesterday in environmental court, Allan Long, owner of 107 S. Main, agreed to have his boarded-up building inspected by engineers. The city argued that the building may pose a danger to two adjoining buildings and possibly passersby as well. The two sides will re-convene before Judge Potter on April 23.

In the news: Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton tells gays to get some perspective, that at least they don’t hang you here like they do in Iraq. So ashamed that this heaping pile of shit represents the state in which I was born.

Big sports night tonight: Redbirds vs. Cardinals at 6:05, AutoZone Park. Grizzlies vs. Thunder, 7:05, FedExForum, first 3000 get a Super Grizz cape.

There will be an April 4th commemoration tomorrow at the National Civil Rights Museum. April 4 is the day on which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated 47 years ago at the site.

Almost time for the weekend. I will be out at the usual spots tonight.

The American Atheists National Convention kicks off today at the Peabody. This week’s Flyer has a cover story about the convention.

And of course there’s a religious group who has pulled a permit to close one lane of Second, on the northeast side from Union to Monroe, so they can have a “Pray-Test” for the atheists. Can’t you people live and let live?

I’m not an atheist by the way. I’m non-religious but have strong spiritual views. That means I’m not agnostic either. I don’t know what to label myself, and I hate labels anyway, so I’ll just say this: I don’t go to church. I don’t go to atheist conventions. I go to bars. I fully expect the bunny to bring me a PBR on Sunday.

In case you missed it, there was a minor earthquake in the Mid-South last night just before 11. The MemphisWeather.net blog has a report.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band plays the Orpheum tonight at 8 with tickets $45-79. The band is described as producing roots-rich music with “an electrifying blend of blues, soul, jazz, and rock.”

The Pinch District has held on to its historic designation. Consideration had been given to taking it away. By the way, there’s a planning meeting for April 11’s MemFIX Pinch at the Crowne Plaza today at 3:30.

Holly has info on Tennessee Brewery: Revival that starts next week. Grizzlies screening room… nice!

Hungry Memphis has a post about the duck confit enchiladas at McEwen’s.

There’s a Groupon for the Metal Museum for admission for two, four, or six.

Like the Memphis Farmers Market and want to support the organization? Eat at South of Beale. The market is SOB’s charity of the month, and you can add a donation when you sign your check.

I had a couple of people ask me what I thought the speed limit should be on Riverside when it goes back to four lanes in June. Forty. Four zero. Ten times four.

Last week I was showing everyone an Instagram video of my BBQ team’s flamethrower. This week I am showing everyone photos where I posed with a giant stick of butter on my head. Ah, life Downtown, never a dull moment.

(I mentioned the flamethrower )

Out at the usual spots after work. Goose, Bear, and Saucer will all receive visits tonight. Time to go buy a Circle K breakfast sausage covered in mustard, salsa, and jalapenos for lunch. Truly livin’ the high life.

Enough news, and big news, today to warrant a second post. Yes, all of this is real news, not April Fool’s jokes.

Mayor Wharton has announced that Riverside Drive will go back to four lanes in June, pending further study. EXCELLENT. Us crusty old white men in cars, as our detractors like to refer to us, are happy. (And, by the way, there are more than 6 of us, as I have seen implied this afternoon.) Note that when I wrote about the Riverside controversy, I never once insulted or name-called people who disagreed with me on the issue, and I even said I admired them and respected them for their efforts to make Memphis more livable.

Oh, and one of the people who was pro-bike lanes called for a traffic light at Riverside and Georgia. I agree on that point. It is nearly impossible for cars to turn left from Georgia onto Riverside. There’s just never a break in traffic, unless you’re turning at 4 AM.

Bass Pro has moved its grand opening for the Pyramid back from May 1 to April 29. At 6 PM on the 29th, there will be a special Evening for Conservation event, with celebrities from fields related to Bass Pro on hand. There will be discounts and prizes, and experts in Bass Pro-related fields will be on hand to answer questions. The first full day open to the public will be Thursday, April 30.

It’s official now: The Susan G. Komen Memphis-Midsouth Race for the Cure will be coming Downtown this fall, headquartered at AutoZone Park. 9 AM October 31 is the start time.

Live Nation, the world’s largest producer of live music events, has signed a strategic partnership with Beale Street and will book events for the New Daisy at 330 Beale and the Palace at 380 Beale. East Beale will now be a prominent stop for national live touring acts. MBJ reporters tweeted that the New Daisy will be renovated and although it won’t be rebranded a House of Blues, it will likely be on the same touring circuit.

You know it’s a big news day when the East Beale story is the #4 story in my news post. I am SO HAPPY to hear that Live Nation, and not anyone local, will be booking 380 Beale. Finally the former site of the Plush Club will no longer be a ghetto embarrassment to Downtown Memphis.

Allan Long, owner of dilapidated 107 South Main, will have to appear in environmental court tomorrow. The city has filed a second lawsuit against Long, this one asking the court to declare the building a public nuisance. The lack of maintenance on 107 Main has caused increasing moisture levels in adjoining buildings, and may have even made it a danger to passersby on the street.

Time to go out for a PBR, for there is much good news to celebrate today.